Some Tales of One City: Charles Dickens and London

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens.

Arguably the greatest writer of the Victorian era, Dickens’s works remain as popular today as they were in his lifetime.

At the heart of most of his work is the ‘Great Wen’ – London, in all its guises.

In celebration of the bicentenary, Archives for London, the Dickens Museum and the Centre for Metropolitan History are holding a one-day conference.

It will explore Dickens's relationship with London, and the ways in which life in the capital influenced and shaped his life, his work and his social conscience.

Covering many aspects of Dickens’ life, including his childhood, his relationship with the Poor Law, his domestic life and the role that London played in firing his imagination, the event will draw on primary archive sources.

“The conference will seek to shed light on the effect living in London had on Dickens and his work”, says Dr Florian Schweizer, Director of the Dickens Museum. “It will also highlight its enduring place in the imagination of everyone who is captivated by the world of Charles Dickens”.

Confirmed speakers include: Alex Werner & Tony Williams on Dickens’s Victorian London; Michael Allen on Dickens’s Early Life; Nicholas Waloff on Dickens’s Servants; and Ruth Richardson on the Oliver Twist workhouse.